Caged Bird's Melody
by AGEless777
Summary: Cosette Roberts. Half-human, half-vampire. Her father, Aro, uses her for the pleasure of observing these curious creatures, torturing her and she bares it. However whenever he betrothes her to Caius, she cannot take it and escapes to a town named Forks where her mother said she could find people who could help her. While there, she meets Embry Call who claims he is in love with her
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

_Prologue  
Fantine_

What have I done? Why did I believe him?

I clutched my oversized stomach as I felt my baby kick. It felt like a concrete block slamming into my rib cage. I let out a grunt of pain. The maid provided by my child's moved over to me. "Do you feel alright, Ms.?" she asked me, looking at me in concern.

I nodded, straightening up painfully as the baby administered another blow to my insides. "I feel-" I began, only to be cut off as I feel something wet flow down my legs. In the moment it happened, it seemed as if my child started kicking much more than I have ever felt him kick.

"Ms. Fantine?" the girl said, grabbing my arms as I begin to collapse. "Are you alright? Should I go get Mr. Aro?" My heart started to slam against my chest and not from the pain I feel either.

"No!" I screamed at her, not meaning to. "Don't you let that monster near my baby! I swear to God if you even think of bringing him here I'll-" I gasped in a breath of pain as I fell on my bed. I had seen my mother go into labor with my younger brother and I know that what I am going through right now is not anywhere near natural. The pain is coming too fast, the contractions increasing too quickly. Of course, it is not natural for a woman to be full-term in a matter of a month either.

She pressed her lips together, her eyes showing her confusion. "I'm sorry, Ms. Fantine, but Mr. Aro commanded me to bring him in for the birth," she said. "I'll be right back, I promise." She left the room, leaving me alone here in this room. This is the perfect opportunity to escape. I forced myself out of the bed and over to the window. I stared out of it, calculating the fall. I didn't think that it would kill me, the drop wasn't long enough. But in this pain, would I even be able to make it very far.

My child kicked me again, making me double over in pain. I felt bile rise in my throat but push it back, not wanting to see the blood I drank earlier coming up. However, I felt it rise again as a voice I hate dearly rang in my ears.

"My, my, my. Is it time already?"

I turned slowly to meet the brilliant red eyes of the father of my child. Aro. And with him were Caius and Marcus. It seemed as if the child's kicks were in rhythm with my heartbeat, quick and slamming into my skin. I gasped as he seemed to break a rib at another blow. Aro practically glided towards my crumpled figure, kneeling down and looking at me curiously.

"How do you feel, my dear?" he asked me. The sweetness of his breath was almost sickening, making my stomach churn. "Any nausea? Dizziness, pain?" He didn't wait for me to reply before he took my arm and pulled me up. "Come, we must get you on the bed. Quickly before the child starts to break its way through."

I practically fall on the bed as the pain increases. I lay back and curl up in a ball as much as my pregnant belly would allow. I closed my eyes in pain and anguish, not wishing to see Aro and Caius and Marcus. I kept them closed as a pair of cold hands closed around mine. Aro held them for a very long time. Finally, he released them and made a low noise. I opened my eyes and stared up at him. He looked at me in confusion but had a satisfied smile on his face. "This is very curious," he said, his voice full of delight. "Very curious indeed." He turned to the other two, laughter in his voice. "Brothers, I only wish that you could exprience this with me. It seems that I can not only hear the woman's thoughts but the child's as well." He turned back to me, all confusion gone from his eyes. "You are quite lucky, Fantine. It seems that our child loves you very much and has no wishes of your death. I'm feeling sympathetic. You are quite lucky indeed."

I opened my mouth to say something but a scream came out instead. It felt like my back was breaking. I realized, in horror, that it _had _broken. I felt as if I was choking, my throat burning as if more bile had come up and was staying there. Slowly, the pain started to fade away. And so did everything else. Blackness covered my vision so that I could see nothing. It was as if my ears were stopped up or my head underwater and all I could hear was noise. One noise in particular though, I could hear. A noise like metal being ripped apart by some great force. Like a vampire's head being ripped off...

The pain started to fade back in and I felt what felt like something eating my from the inside out. I tried to bear the pain I felt, knowing that this was how my child had to get out. I had read about it in some of Aro's notes. The child has to eat his way out of me, chewing through the vampire skin. The pain increased in my stomach and then faded again, black dotting my vision. This continued for I don't know how long. Finally, everything faded back in and I could hear Aro saying, "Now is the time for you to leave. I will take it from here." I heard the sound of panting and then it faded as I heard a door closing. Aro leaned over in front of me, his red eyes darkening. I realized why as I saw all the blood around. "I would say you did very... well, Fantine. The little girl is healthy and very much alive. Do not fret. But now comes the hardest part."

The pain started to fade again and my vision became blurry. I was almost completely out when I felt pressure on the hollow of my neck and a very bad burning started to replace the throbbing, stabbing pain running through me. It felt as if fire was replacing my blood and spreading through my body. I felt this same pressure on my arms, legs, near my heart, on the other side of my neck...

The burning was now all over me. My heartbeat raced, my mind producing a million thoughts. Most of them were about my child - my daughter. I was concerned about her. Would she be okay without me? With these monsters? Would I live to be able to take care of her?

My last thought was that I was on fire and that I must welcome it.

* * *

I'm not sure how long I laid there, on fire. The beat of my heart seemed to get quicker and quicker by the second. It seemed as if it had been only a few minutes. But I thought of many things as I waited for it to pass.

I had been quite successful. I had been on Broadway, slowly but surely working up to fame. With the money that I had saved up, I was able to make a trip to Italy, one of the many places that I always wanted to go. My friend had told me that the St. Marcus Festival was going on in Volterra while I was going to be there. So I decided to tour the grand home of the people who the residents say are their guardians. It seemed as if the leader had taken favor of me, romancing me. But now I realize he simply wanted the child, not me. I was foolish to go there, to believe him. I would go back and change everything if I could. If that didn't mean not having my daughter.

Eventually, I noticed that the fire was slowly starting to extinguish. My heart beat was accelerating at a rate that I never thought possible. It seemed to go faster and faster, like a helicopter's blades as they start up. The quicker that it became, the more the pain lessened. And then, without any warning, the beating stopped. The pain was gone. I willed myself to open my eyes.

It was as if I had never seen before.

I could see every crack in the grand marble ceiling. I could feel every lose thread in my bedsheet. I could hear the voices in the streets very clearly, possibly even enough that I could pick up on one of them. I pulled myself out of the bed. As soon as my feet touched the floor, I prepared myself for the cool feeling of the wood but it did not bother me. I looked down at myself and see I am wearing a clean, plain black dress. I stared at my hands, much paler than before, all the freckles on it having disappeared. I heard a chuckle and look up in the direction it came from.

"Well," Aro said, coming towards me. I backed up instinctively, feeling a growl bubble up in my chest and come out of my throat through my mouth. He shook his finger at me, his lips curled in a smile. "That's not good behavior, Ms. Fantine. Especially if you want to see our daughter."

I stopped at his words, remembering suddenly the baby. I had not seen her yet. I must see her. "_Our _daughter?" I scoffed, watching him carefully. He was beautiful before but now, with my enhanced vision, he is even more beautiful. "You mean _my _daughter."

The wicked creature shook his head, rolling his eyes slightly. "No, my dear," he said. "I'm afraid I meant _our _daughter. She is as much mine as she is yours. You do remember how genetics work, don't you? Anyway, I am afraid that you will have to feed before you can see young Jezebel."

I glared at him as soon as the name came off his tongue. Hot anger rolled off of me as it settled in my brain and echoed there. "You named my daughter after a villian in the Bible?" I snapped at him. "How dare you! She is my baby! I get to name her! She is not some wicked thing! That will not be her name! A name after a woman so wicked that the dogs ate her!"

Aro shrugged one shoulder as he brushed past me and to the door. "Makes no difference now, I suppose. That is the name we have called her since she was born that is what she will continue to be called." He made a gesture with his hand for me to follow him as he stepped out the door. "Come. Your thirst will not be contained much longer."

As I stepped out, I felt the burning in my throat. A different burning from the one that I felt when giving birth to my little girl. A burning that went all the way down my esophagus and made my mouth feel dry. A sweet scent filled my nose and made my mouth want to water as we walked down the great hallways. The intoxicating smell grew stronger and stronger, and I had to contain myself from running towards it. Whenever Aro pushed the large doors to the main room open, the aroma was very great, and I could see what it was that made me feel the way I did.

People, thirty at the least, were waiting in there. Most of them looked terrified, a few of them so nervous they were sweating. My throat burned even more, reminding me of my thirst. But seeing these people and knowing I had been one of them not too long ago, made me want to ignore it. I watched Aro carefully as he moved across the room to stand with Caius and Marcus. Those two, along with Aro, looked more beautiful too. With my more advanced eyes, I could see now that Caius' snow white hair was indeed not the same color of his skin but was only a shade darker. As I had expected, he was the one who was watching me the most.

Aro grinned at me and turned to the two. "Isn't she a lovely addition to our coven, brothers?" he said to them. "As well as the girl? And doesn't she look just like her mother? And Ms. Fantine seems to be contolling herself very well. Why, I remember whenever we brought Jane in. The young girl could hardly contain herself in a room full of humans. And she was a few months old." At this, he turned back to me, the same hungry grin plastered on his face. "And yet Fantine is only a few minutes old and she's easily content and controlled among this number of terrified, sweating, adrenaline-pumped people." He glided back to me. His hand touched my face and then, caressed down to my throat, lingering there. "And, surely she must be quite hungry." He turned back to his "brothers" and the rest of the guard. "Then, let's not keep her waiting," he said too cheerfully for my liking. "Go on!"

Everything happened very quickly. The whole guard moved as one towards the crowd of people waiting in the center of the room. It pained me to see their terrified expressions as all these beautiful creatures moved in on them, that they knew what was coming. I had to turn my head as the first person, Felix, grabbed his first victim and sank his teeth into the hollow of their neck. Soon, the whole room was filled with agonized screams, crying of people as they watched their loved ones die, satisfied, musical laughter, and worst of all, the smell of blood. Now it felt like someone had stuck a hot torch down my throat and I knew only one thing could extinguish it.

Caius walked over to me, wiping his lip as if he had something on it. He stared at me for a moment, then shook his head. "You haven't had anyone to drink yet, have you Fantine?" he asked me though it sounded more like a statement. "Go on, take your pick. Before all the good ones are gone. I would suggest staying away from the anemics."

I sucked in a breath and shook my head also. "No," I said to him, avoiding his eyes. "I'm not really thirsty."

He chuckled, something I have never heard Caius do. "Oh, but your eyes tell differently," he said, turning my face so I have to look at him. "Do not think me a fool, Ms. Fantine Roberts. Never underestimate any of us. Do you understand?" He smiled as I slowly nodded my head. Out of all the Volturi, I find Caius the most intimidating, even though he has no special talent like Aro or Marcus or Jane. Something about the way he moved, the way he talked, the way he thought made me feel nervous. He moved out into the crowd, easily manuvering through the people running from the vampires pursuing them. Before I knew it, he was back by my side, a burly man in tow. "Go ahead," he told me. "This is the best I could find. Surely you must be starving." He shoved the man in front of me, watching me curiously.

The man stared at me from his knees, mouth agape, sweat beads covering his forehead. I could feel the warmth radiating off him, feel his fear, hear his heart beating very fast as it pumped adrenaline through his veins, smell his intoxicating scent. My throat burned even more as I watched the beating of his pulse on the hollow of his neck, little drops of sweat rolling over it. I knelt down to his level, and whispered, "I'm sorry about this." He unintentionally blew his breath in my face, and it made the burning in my throat flare as if someone had thrown lighter fluid on a fire. Before I knew what I was doing, I buried my teeth into the pulsing spot on his neck and warm, salty blood burst in my mouth. As it flowed down my throat, it seemed to extinguish the burning. The man let out a yell, right in my ear, and started fighting against me but I didn't let go. In fact, it was as if my instincts kicked in, and I pinned him to the ground so he couldn't move. I took in more blood, not getting enough. Eventually, his thrashing stopped, and his yells turned into moans which eventually turned to silence.

I picked myself up, feeling satisfied, my throat no longer burning. I heard laughter and turned to see Aro watching me. He rubbed his hands together in delight. "Well," he said to no one in particular, "now that I see Fantine is quite satisfied, I think she is free to see her child." He motioned for someone to come forward; it was Demetri who did. "Demetri, take our newest addition to see the girl, will you?" He smiled at me. "I'm sure she would love to see her mommy."

Demetri roughly took my arm and pulled me down the halls, saying nothing until we stopped in front of a door. He turned to me for a moment. "She's inside with the maid," he said to me, his red eyes burning. "She's very anxious to see you. Every time we passed by the room you were in, she would reach for it." With that, he pushed the door open and walked away to attend to some other business.

I stepped inside, closing the door behind me. I saw a girl, a vampire, sitting in a rocking chair in the corner of the room, holding a child who was twice the size of mine. For a moment I thought that I was in the wrong room, that this was someone else's child or something. However, the girl smiled at me and stood up, setting down an empty bottle streaked with red down. "Here's your baby, Ms.," she said, turning the child around in her arms. "She's a beautiful little thing."

And indeed, the girl was right. She was beautiful. She had icy green eyes that were the same as mine before I was changed. Her skin was a smooth, flawless ivory contrasted by dark brown hair that was the same color as Aro's though in the light that filtered through the window, I could see she had little bits of red in it that were the same color as my dark red hair. She had my facial features, a narrow face, high cheekbones, thin nose, though her eyes were shaped like Aro's, wide and intelligent. The girl handed me the baby. She was very warm, and I could feel her quick heart beat against my own cold chest. "I'll be right back," the girl said, leaving my daughter and I alone.

I sat down in the chair, staring at my daughter - Jezebel, Aro had said - before finally speaking. "Now, I know that you are very smart," I told her, feeling shocked whenever she smiled and revealed a smile full of perfectly straight, white teeth behind her pink lips. "And I also know that Aro and the others were calling you Jezebel theses past few days. But that's not your name. No. Your name is Cosette." I smiled. I always wanted a daughter named Cosette. Cosette and Fantine. Like in my favorite musical, Les Misérables. "Cosette Mariana. And the only time you are to respond to Jezebel is whenever Aro or any of the guard call you that, alright? Any other time, you are called Cosette." I kissed the top of her tiny forehead. "My sweet baby."

For the longest time, we just sat there. I rocked her, talked to her, telling her stories of when I was human, and eventually, she started to yawn, her eyeslids drooping. I remembered whenever I was pregnant that she would calm down if I sang or hummed to her while she was being rowdy. And so, I sang slow, soft love songs that I had learned during my time in the theatre. My voice sounded much clearer than it had before, softer. As I held this special baby in my arms, I knew that she was good, rather than deceiving and a snake like Aro.

Through the years, she was inseperable from me. Where I went, she went. What I did, she did. I taught her that there are better ways of living than what her father did. I helped her sneak out to go hunt for animals though there were times that her father made her drink from a human. That was all she was to Aro - an experiment. He read her mind every day, made her drink human blood, made her go thirsty, watched her every movement. His favorite thing to do was use her for hunting and executions. She seemed to be reverse her father, able to control a person or vampire's mind by singing to them.

Many days she would ask me, "Mom, when are we going to be able to leave? Will Aro ever set us free?"

And all I could ever answer was, "I don't know, Cosette. I don't know."

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! So this first chapter was a bit rough, yeah. It'll get better though! I promise.  
By the way, if you guys are ever derping around on the site & you see a story called "My Werewolf Boyfriend" by winxluv101, it's probably going to look similar to my story here. Well, I promise that I am not copying from her! We have an understanding and it's all good! You guys should read her story! It's very good.  
The next chapter will be up soon! Stay safe, guys! And don't forget to review!**


	2. Chapter 2: Chapter One

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own _Twilight _or most of the characters. I also do not own the lyrics from _Phatom of the Opera._**

* * *

_One  
Cosette_

"Cosette," I heard a voice say. "Cosette, wake up."

I opened my eyes and saw my mother's orangish colored eyes staring down at me. "Mom?" I said groggily, somewhat angry about her waking me up. "What are you doing? I'm so tired. And so hungry. Are we going hunting?"

She shook her head and pulled me out of bed. "Hurry," she said, frantically shoving things into a backpack. "The guard is out hunting - an unusual wave of tourists came into Volterra. Come on. Now's our chance." She threw a pair of sweatpants at me and a T-shirt, which I narrowly avoided getting hit in the face with.

I slipped them on, feeling confused as I did. "Our chance for what?" I said, squinting at her in the darkness, wishing my vision was as sharp as hers. "Mom, what are you talking about?"

She grabbed my shoulders roughly. I knew that it wasn't her intent to hurt me but I could tell I was probably going to have bruises soon though they would be gone by morning. "This is our chance for escape, sweetie," she whispered as if someone could hear us. "Don't you see? The guard is out, virtually no one is in the house. We finally get the chance to leave here and be free."

I let her words sink in. Of my four years of life, I have been tortured by Aro, my own father. A chance to be free, away from the pain and suffering he brings me would mean everything to me.

I nodded and helped her pack quietly, not sure exactly what we would need but happy that human food was not one of them. I am happier with blood than I am food. Finally, she shoved a bag at me, saying, "That's enough, we need to go." She flung the window opened and stared out of it. I stepped up beside her and looked too. I drew in a breath and backed up a bit. I had always gone out on our balcony - sometimes, it was as close to outside as I could get - but I had never really paid attention to how high up we were. "Mom, I can't jump that far," I told her, staring at the ground at least ten stories below. "I'll be crushed."

She shook her head, still staring at the ground. "No, you can't," she said quietly. "But I can." She turned to me and knelt down to my level. "Look, Cosette, I'm going to jump first, okay? Then, when I'm on the ground and have my balance, you're going to jump next, and I'll catch you, okay? You have to trust me."

I wrapped my thin arms around her neck and squeezed. "I do trust you," I told her. "It's them I don't trust. Aro and Caius and the guard."

She smiled thinly at me and pushed my hair back. "I know you don't, baby. But that's why we're leaving. We're going to be okay, right? You know that. Come on. We don't need to waste time." With that, she hoisted me up onto the balcony railing. "Ready?" I nodded. I held my breath as she put one foot on the railing. She seemed to be thinking for a few moments, then she pulled herself up, balancing on two feet, and jumped off. I turned my head so that I wouldn't see her go _splat_ though I knew I would hear it. I waited a few minutes before opening my eyes and looking down. She was beckoning to me, a look that said, "Hurry," on her face.

I swallowed, making my hunger more noticeable before I pushed myself off of the railing. The wind whistled in my ears, blowing my hair out of my face. The free fall made my stomach do a flip. I had never felt anything like it. The feeling it gave me was like I could finally do anything, that this was the potential that I had once I was free. I felt like a caged bird being set free of its confinement.

But of course, the feeling ended whenever two cold bars slammed against my body, causing me to stop. They didn't let me go but held me there. Mom straightened the bag on her back and began to run. She kissed the top of my head. "I would let you run, baby," she said, her eyes looking around the abandoned courtyard for the way out, "but we really need to hurry."

I huffed a bit - running was one of my favorite things - but I understood that my shorter, ten-year-old-length legs would not carry me as fast as my mother's would carry the two of us together. I looked up at my mother, jealous of her beauty in the moonlight - her skin paper white, shadows under her cheekbones and eyebrows, her red hair looked as if it were black, her orange eyes bright with light. "Mom," I said over the roar of wind in our ears, knowing she could hear. "How do you know that the _whole _guard was gone hunting?"

She was silent for a few moments, and I wondered if maybe she was too busy thinking about how we would get out. I pressed my face against her chest, the cool skin and sweet scent comfortingly familiar. "I heard them talking about it," she said, making me raise my face again. "It's all they've been talking about the entire day. No more questions, Cosette. Not right now."

I was quiet because I knew that whenever my mother silenced me, it meant that there were things that did not need to be said at the moment. We were still in the vast courtyard. Anyone could still hear us, catch us. I logged directions in my mind, because I had never really been outside much. Usually, my mother would bring me game in the late night or early morning, small things like rabbits or squirrels since she couldn't exactly drag a hundred-some pound deer through the Volturi manor. We're lucky we've been dragging our secrets this long.

I lifted my head up to look at her. Ice ran through my veins as her eyes widened, and she turned the other way, a gasp catching in her throat. Suddenly, her head pulled back and her grip loosened and was replaced by another icy grip. She let out an enraged screech and trashed in her captor's arms. "Let me go!" she screamed, eyes locked on me. "Let go!"

The whole thing was so sudden that it took me a while to come to my senses. I turned my head to see who was holding me. It was Alec, a fierce smile on his face, and beside him, his sister, Jane, watching me with amused, crimson eyes. I looked back to my mother who was in Felix and Demetri's grasps, her bronze eyes wide and scared. I tugged against Alec's grip, twisting my arms to try to free them. His fingers tightened around my upper arms, sliding down to my torso for a better grip. Something similar to a growl bubbled in my chest though I knew it would sound nothing like a menacing full-blood's.

I twisted in his arms so I was facing him, having to look up though I was tall for my age. I looked him dead in his cocky eyes. And, replacing the growl with a hum, I opened my mouth to sing.

_"Have you gorged yourself at last  
In your lust for blood?  
Am I now to be prey  
To your lust for flesh?_

_"This haunted face  
Holds no horror for me now  
It's in your soul  
That the true distortion lies."_

I can feel his grip loosening and his mind's defenses opening up but not enough to where I could escape without him snatching me right back.

_"The tears that I might have shed  
For your dark fate,  
Grow cold and turn to tears of-"_

The last word is interrupted by a scream that escapes my lips as a sudden burst of stabbing pain sheared through me. Alec let go of me, and I felt myself fall on the ground though the impact is nothing compared with the pain I felt as the moment. My eyes slithered up Jane's towering figure to see that she is looking at me hungrily, a satisfied smile on her face. Another shriek worked its way out as another wave of this terrible pain washed over me. It felt as if someone had laid me on a bed of swords and then used a sledgehammer to nail me down to it only there was no death waiting for me on it. I tried to pick myself up, but slumped on the ground again when the pain didn't let up. Another wave of pain, another scream. Just as I was sure it would get no worse, a smooth voice said, "That is enough, Jane."

The pain left immediately though I still had to catch my breath, working to calm myself, my arms and legs shaking as I pushed myself off the ground. Jane looked a bit disappointed but had her eyes locked on the person in front of us. I felt a hand on my shoulder and, taking a deep breath, turned to come face-to-face with my biological father.

He gave me fake sympathetic look before turning to face my mother, who was still fighting against Felix, her eyes trained on me. Aro stepped in her line of vision, making a _tsk_-ing noise. "Fantine, Fantine," he practically purred at her. "I was hoping this wouldn't happen." My mother glared at him as he paced back and forth in front of her. "And I thought you more faithful than this." He turned to me, his red eyes showing false sadness as they bore into mine. "And you, dearest Jezebel." His hand gently carassed my face, the chill of his skin leaving goosebumps all over me. "My own daughter. I thought I taught you better than this." He put his hand down, shaking his head slightly. He turned so he could face the small audience before him. "We shall hold a very... special trial in ten minutes," he said so they could all here. "Not a minute early, not a minute late." He waved his hand in a gesture of dismissal. It was all very dream-like as Caius and Marcus followed Aro into the manor, and Felix and Demetri dragged Mom away. I could very vaguely hear her yelling my name. She sounded desperate. Alec's cold arms wrapped around my waist again. The cold touch seemed to bring me back to reality.

My breath caught in my throat. _Special trial. _My eyes widened as the words settled into my mind and pieced themselves together. It was as if some other part of me took over and was controlling me.

"_No!" _I screamed. The sound was ear-piercing to my own ears, but I didn't let it die down. "You can't do this! Stop!" I clawed at Alec's stone-like skin, knowing it was no good but trying anyway. "Mom! No!" Alec dragged me, kicking and screaming down the dark hallways, our fighting forms casting eerie shadows on the walls when we passed by a moonlight lit spot. My efforts were usless as he threw me into a dark, windowless room, slamming the door shut behind him, locking me in. I yanked on the knob, trying to open it. I heard an expaserated sigh behind me.

"It's not going to work, sweetie," my mother's voice said. "Even if you made it out, there are probably guards out there."

I saw her faintly in the dark room, then more clearly as my eyes quickly adjusted. I sat on my knees next to her. Tears were pricking my eyes, but I forced them back, not wanting her to see. "Mom, I'm sorry."

She shook her head, pressing me close to her. "You have nothing to be sorry for," she whispered. Keeping quiet, she pushed me back so I could look at her, and said, "Listen closely." I swallowed the lump in my throat and leaned forward expectantly. "This was not my only plan to getting you out, it was not spur of the moment. I've been planning this out for a long time." She raked a hand through her hand, the red locks falling perfectly back into place. "I have many friends who can help you, okay? One day, when you get out, I want you to find a woman named Jemima Akila. Tell her you're my daughter - she'll know by your face. She'll get you where you need to be. And that place is Forks, Washington. There, you are to find a coven, the Cullens. They're animal drinkers, and they have a child in their family who is just like you. I've never met them, but I've heard about them. They are a gifted family, almost as gifted as the Volturi. Aro thinks they are scum, but truly they are kind people. They will be willing to help you. Their leader, Carlisle - he's very gracious from what I've heard."

I shivered a bit though not out of cold but out of fear. I looked straight into my mother's bronze eyes (the color a mixture of animal and human blood) and took hold of her hand. "Mom," I said quietly. "What's going to happen to us?"

She smiled sadly and pressed her cold lips to my hot forehead. "I don't know, baby," she said quietly. "But you just have to trust that everything will be okay in the end. I love you so much. I wouldn't give you back for anything in the world."

Just then, the door swung open, hitting the wall loudly, interrupting us. Four figures walked into room, two grabbing my mother and two grabbing me. A knot formed in my stomach when I saw that Mom was not fighting back, and so I didn't either. It would only make it worse for us if we attempted to get away. They guided us roughly down the eerie, haunting corridors until finally, they shoved us into the main room where it seemed like most of the Volturi guard was waiting for us. And who else but Aro, Marcus, and Caius were standing at the head of them, watching us intensely.

Aro moved forward, looking at my mother with pitying eyes. She pushed me behind her in an attempt to defend me. I obeyed without arguing. The terrible man before us smiled slightly, seeing the gesture. "Trying to hide her, are we, Fantine?" he said, peering around her shoulder at me and then putting his focus back on her. "You see, that is exactly why we're doing this."

My mother was silent as she glared menacingly at him.

He twisted a ring on his finger absentmindedly, a faint look of amusement in his eyes. "You see, my dear. I've never trusted you. You were always so... insistant when I considered giving young Jezebel a break for the day. Your defensiveness was slightly worrying." I mentally note how he keeps saying _was _and _were_ as if she were dead. "So, I figured we would give you a test, see how trustworthy you really are. See if your loyalty was still intact." He made a low noise from his throat, his eyebrows furrowing together. "Wouldn't it have been the perfect opportunity to escape if most of the guard was out hunting for a change?" His face softened a bit, a grin replacing the hard line his lips made. "Hiding out in the courtyard because we knew that you were smarter than to go out the front doors." He waved his hand as if dismissing the subject. "Long story short, you have failed the test put before you. I thought the two of you were smarter than this. Your punishment has already been discussed and established." He turned to look behind our shoulders. "Alec, Jane, hold the girl, will you?"

The deadly brother and sister pair smiled and took hold of either of my arms. My eyes widened as I realized what was about to happen as Felix and Demetri stepped up to my mother, throwing her on the ground and holding on to her arms. "No!" I yelled, my voice thick and unrecognizable. "No, you can't do this! Please, Aro! Don't!"

Aro - my own father - ignored my desperate pleas. He smiled lightly at my mother, taking hold of one of her hands, clenched into fists. He breathed in a deep breath as he read her thoughts. "I told you once our daughter was born, Fantine, that you were rather lucky that I was letting you live. It seems that your luck, sadly, has run out." His hands moved from her hand to either side of her face as if holding it there gently. Then, he gritted his teeth and seemed to be coiling his hard muscles under his hard skin. I opened my mouth to ask him to stop whenever a ripping sounded and a shriek pierced my ears.

"No!" I screamed, tears filling my eyes. In between Aro's hands was my mother's head, mouth wide open, eyes wide and unseeing. I felt bile rise in my throat and my knees buckle with only Jane and Alec holding me up. I forced it down and tried to hold up my own weight. He threw the head down on the dismembered body. Caius came forward with a torch and set my mother on fire. Only then did the siblings release me.

I somehow found the will to crawl towards her, purplish smoke rising from her body. I wanted to reach out and touch her, even if the fire would burn me and turn my own skin to ash. "Mom," I sobbed as I watched her beautiful face blacken and burn. "Mom! Please!" I was shaking, my breathing ragged. Tears poured down my face.

Through the flames and smoke, I could see Aro's face twisted into a sneer as he watched my mother burn. He looked like an avenging angel with smoke as a halo, the fire reflecting in his cold, crimson eyes. He came around and, putting a hand under each of my arms, pulled me away from what now is a pile of ash. He kneeled down to my level and picked my chin up so I had to look at him. "Jezebel, Jezebel, Jezebel," he said in a taunting voice. "What are we to do with you now?"

Caius stepped up behind him, a scowl on his face. "I say we kill her," he said. "How do we not know that she will not try to escape like her mother? She's just a burden and a rascal - we end her." He growled out the words _end her, _glaring at me, his lips pulled back from his teeth, showing the perfectly straight, white, venom-coated weapons. I swallowed, trying to rid the lump in my throat. The tears would not stop and my breathing was getting much quicker like I was hyperventilating.

The look of pure pity Aro was giving me was completely strange. He waved Caius away, still watching me. "No," he said quietly. "This one is quite valuable." He smiled a bit and pressed his cold hand to my face gently as if to comfort me. "We'll keep her around... for now." He stood, pulling me to my feet with him. I still felt weak and hated how I had to lean on him for support. "Someone take her back to her room, please. She's not escaping tonight." He took my hand in his and squeezed, trying to play that he was being an encouraging father, but I knew he was reading my mind. He smiled a bit. "No, not a chance."

Demetri grabbed my arm, nodding to Aro, telling him that he had it. Aro also nodded greatfully and turned to his brothers. Caius was moving towards us, a look of disgust on his face. He said nothing to me as he pierced holes into my concious, pure anger in his eyes. Before I knew what was happening, he brought his hand back and snapped it across my face. One of his rings cut my face. I could feel blood flowing down my face, but I could also feel the skin mending itself quickly, the pain barely having time to process. "If you ever try anything like this again," he said quietly, close to my ear, "I will kill you myself with no one's permission but my own." I didn't even have time to search his face for the truth before Demetri tugged on my arm, insisting that I follow him.

I couldn't even remember how I got to my room before Demetri shoved me on my bed and slammed the door shut.

I curled up on my bed, feeling like something had been ripped out of me. Like everything important to me was gone. Like a hole was forming in my chest, leaving nothing but emptiness there.

Then, I realized why I felt that way.

My mother is - was - my everything. She is - was - the only family I truly had. She taught me of all the morals I knew now. She taught me to sing, taught me that there are better ways than the life that my father lives. I felt as if I had no reason for living anymore - life didn't matter without her. I threw my arm across the bed where she would lay, singing to me until I fell alseep. Despite her cold skin, I always felt warmer when she was around - not necessarily happy but content.

A sob burst from my throat as I heard her singing to me in the back of my mind. I buried my face in my pillow, trying to fight against the tears. I bit down on it and let out a scream that scratched my throat, possibly rendering me hoarse for the next few days if I kept it up.

I heard her last words in my mind. "_I love you so much. I wouldn't give you back for anything in the world."_

My sobs shook my body, my stomach starting to feel sore from the spasms, my eyes puffy and swollen, my cheeks warmer than normal. The sobbing did not stop until I cried myself to sleep where my mother, my wonderful mother haunted my dreams.

* * *

**A/N: There you go! Chapter Dos! I would try and get it updated tomorrow but I'm going to a friend's house and we plan to nerdgirl all night with Avatar: The Last Airbender and Maximum Ride and hot chocolate. :)  
Don't forget to review!**

**-AGEless**


	3. Chapter 3: Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own ****_Twilight _****or most of the characters mentioned.**

* * *

_Two  
_

Felix slammed the door shut as I collapsed on the cold, marble floor. I try to get my breathing to be even, rubbing the stinging vampire bites on my arms. I am glad that is all it does aside from feeling dizzy and tired. I crawl over to my bed, laying on my side, long, fifteen-year-old length legs spread out. I didn't even bother pulling the duvet over me. I only knew one way to make the pain go away and that was to sleep because even if Aro let me have some pain medicine, my body temperature would probably burn it off quickly. The task is not difficult when I shut my mind down and make my body go completely numb, something that becomes easy after five and a half years of painful tests.

My mother is in my dreams as usual. They varied from her singing me to sleep to watching me burn in turn of me watching her. Luckily, this time I dreamed that she is running her hands through my hair, humming a soft melody in my ear. I smiled in my dream, feeling warm and content like I used to. But unfortunately, I know that it is only a dream and it won't last long.

I was proven right whenever there is a loud banging on my door before it is opened wide and someone lightly sat on my bed, making a dent a human wouldn't notice. I felt a hand that was much different than my mother's run through my wavy hair. I sat up and faced my father, the stinging in my arms now gone. He grabbed my hand without saying anything, partly reading my mind and partly examining the five bite marks which have faded to scars that are barely lighter than my skin tone. He set them down and looked at me with his milky red eyes.

"You did well today, Jezebel," he said, watching me carefully. I winced inwardly at the name "Jezebel." I've always wondered if he's been able to see that I like to be called Cosette when he read my mind. It probably wouldn't matter if he could. "In fact, you did so well, we were planning to reward you."

My back became pin straight, I willed myself to listen more now. I searched his face for a fault, any sign of a lie. However he seemed genuine. "Reward me?" I said carefully as if trying the words on my tongue. "How?" I was hoping for a hunting trip. I couldn't remember how long it had been since I had truly fed. Two days? Three? Three at the most. Aro's tested it before. Three days was the most I could go without my function beginning to shut down. Yes. Hunting would be nice.

He smiled sadly. "Well, you know Caius is deeply grieving Athenodora's death," he said carefully, quietly as if Caius was close enough to overhear.

I nodded, remembering the day it happened hardly a month ago.

* * *

_It was one of the few days I was free to be left alone. I was sitting in a corner, reading _Beowulf, _intrigued by the battle between Beowulf and Grendel whenever Corin came into my room. I set my book to the side, shoving it under my chair so that she could not see. I rose slowly, cautiously. "Corin, dear," I said quietly, "what's going on? I thought this was my day to rest."_

_She grabbed my wrist and quickly pulled me out of my room. "We need you, Cosette," she said frantically, saying my real name because she was one of few who liked me. "There's a newborn here that we can't get under control. It's as if he was made to destructive. None of us can do anything with him. He rebounds too quickly. But maybe if you can keep him hypnotized long enough, we can destroy him."_

_I sucked in a breath of surprise and of horror. Surprise because they have never needed me for an execution before. Only hunts. Horror because I can smell the familiar smell of a vampire burning. Perhaps they had managed to destroy him while Corin was coming to retrieve me. But as she opened the door, I saw the source of it._

_There was Athendora with her head ripped off, a knocked off torch beside her, her body aflame, and Caius standing over her, looking shocked and hurt. It must have been an important execution for them to bring the wives down. My eyes moved quickly, finding the newborn fighting against Demetri and Felix who were struggling to keep a hold of him, his dark red hair a muck._

_I turned to Corin. "What's his name?" I asked her._

_"Phillip"_

_I moved to stand in front of the three struggling men. The newborn's - Philip's - eyes widened as he saw me. His eyes became black. "Human," he growled. "You're keeping a human with you."_

_I looked at Demetri and Felix and nodded. They looked unsure but released Phillip so that he held me in his grasp on the ground, snarling in my face. His eyes widened as he felt my skin. "You're not human," he said angrily. "What are you?"_

_I quickly pulled myself from under him, rolling back so I could get on my feet. I stood before him, his confused figure staying on the ground. I took his face in my hand, forcing his to meet my eyes. I smiled sweetly as I began to sing quietly to him. It didn't take much, a few lines of_ On My Own.

_Caius stepped forward before the rest, anger coursing through him. I forced my gaze to stay in Phillip's hungry black eyes as Caius ripped his head off, a growl escaping his lips as he did so. I gasped as he did, falling backwards and trying to keep myself from sobbing. The image was very familiar. A beautiful man with a head of dark red hair in his face, anger plastered on his face. I stood up quickly and ran out, catching one last glimpse at Athendora's ashes before leaving the room completely._

* * *

"Yes," I said quietly, hanging my head down. "I remember."

Aro nodded, his eyes still focused on me. "Well, he is also very much an opera enthusist," he said, smiling a bit. "Quite surprising, I know. I told him he needed to escape for a night. With a bit of reluctance, he agreed. I thought that, perhaps since you are such a music appreciater yourself, you could accompany him tonight. Give him a bit of company because we all know that he has felt lonely for the longest time."

I swallowed as the words stuck to me. Me and Caius. A night without the rest of the guard. Caius, who, technically is thirty-two years older than me; who intimated both me and my mother. Caius, who would take great pleasure in killing me when he got the chance to do it. I could refuse. I should. I will refuse.

"Sounds fine."

Aro smiled at me. "This is great news," he said happily. He rose swiftly, gracefully. "I will tell Caius immediately." He picked up my hand and kissed it, getting one last glimpse at my thoughts. He turned my arm over and examined it quickly before smiling and saying, "I'm glad you at least got the vampire resistance to bites. It would have been a shame if you would have died when Marcus bit you." With that, he left the room, closing the door gently.

I furrowed my brow together as I tried to remember the last ten minutes and see if they were really real. My nails dug into my palms as I clenched them into tight fists. I was very mad at myself for agreeing to this. I moved my hands to my short hair, which I cut off myself when I got tired of people dragging me by it. Would I have really been able to say no? Of course not. Aro and Caius would have just forced me to go. Not once have I ever been able to refuse them. They might bite me or burn me or try to drown me. Anything to punish me.

I flopped back down on my bed facedown in my pillow. I screamed into it, not caring who would be passing by to hear. I was so angry with myself. I was usually not one to express anger - just kept it bottled up and said it in my deepest thoughts, erasing them from my memory before Aro could see them. Or I would sit on my balcony and sing quietly because it made me feel a little better when I did. Or if I was very desperate, I would sneak out and hunt even if I only managed to get a small rabbit before I knew I had to return.

Finally, I just laid there, sprawled out on my bed, my cheeks rosy from anger, thinking about different things, some of them not even making sense. Pretty soon, I am convinced I am dreaming whenever there is a much lighter knock on the door. I got up reluctantly to open the door when the person on the outside did not open it themselves. I smiled as Corin stepped in, holding a large piece of fabric in her hands. She laid it on the bed, and unfolded it for me to examine.

"Caius picked this out himself," she told me, smoothing the dress so I could look at it better. "He wants you to wear it tonight." My breath caught in my throat as I slipped it on with Corin's help. It was, ironically, crimson red. I felt very exposed with the crisscross straps revealing my back and the neck being cut so low with no sleeves and nothing but chiffon as the skirt past mid-thigh, the top hugging my body close.

I turned to look in the mirror and cringed whenever I saw that you could see all my scars that my father and the rest of the Volturi had caused over the years. I met Corin's eyes in the mirror. "I'm getting out of here soon," I said, seeing the angiush in her eyes whenever she examined my body, seeing the scars all over me.

She nodded. "I agree with you."

* * *

Caius kept a tight grip on my hand as we walked the streets as if I would run away. I tried not to glare at him as he did, feeling that he could at least act normal since there were so many people that already stared at us as he passed by, looking extremely white in his white suit, his red eyes seeming to take in every last detail, a forty-seven-year-old-looking man holding hands with a fifteen-year-old-looking girl who was clearly not his daughter. I wasn't sure what city we were in - he didn't bother to tell me - but it wasn't Volterra. I could tell that easily.

I tried desperately not to run my hand through the perfect curls that Corin took the time to do though I felt the habit was defeating me. When I actually looked up at him, I saw he was smiling at me, looking down at me. I forced my eyes forward again, ignoring the angry blush that I felt rushing to my cheeks. "What?" I said, hoping my voice didn't sound hostile. The last thing I needed to do was threaten Caius in any way when we were alone.

But his smile didn't faulter as he answered. "I'm glad you agreed to go with me, Jezebel," he said, his red eyes amused. "It has been awhile since I've had... female company." I fought the urge to roll my eyes. "I think you'll make a wonderful wife. I was in doubt whenever your father gave me your hand."

I almost stopped dead in my tracks, my heart thumping hard against my chest. Caius must have picked up on it because his expression twisted into one of confusion. "He must not have informed you." All I can do is shake my head. He took this as a sign to elaborate. "Aro knew it would be time for you to look for a husband soon. Of course, he wished to do it the traditional way-"

"Betrothal," I mumbled, the word sluggishly rolling off my tongue. I had never thought of marriage before - never even considered it, but I always knew I was probably not going to get much of a choice. However, Caius was not what I had been expecting. And if I was as smart as I thought I was, I knew that Aro would probably try to get Chelsea to bond the two of us together so that I would never want to leave my husband's - though that does not even seem close to the right word - side, and Corin would make me content like she does to Sulpicia. My mouth suddenly felt dry.

Caius nodded, his eyes still trained on me. "Yes," he said, keeping his normal pace, practically dragging me along now that my steps faultered, my ankles now wobbling in my heels. I felt numb, Caius's hand too heavy in mine, the chiffon fabric too scratchy against my calves. "He felt that perhaps if you were betrothed to someone you knew rather than a stranger, you would be more willing to marry them." Something in his tone - in his eyes - told me that he was as at thrilled by the idea as I was. Of course, he lost his wife only a few weeks ago and a vampire's mate is a greater loss than a human's spouse. However, he seemed willing enough that he would do what Aro asked and marry me. Whether out of loneliness or fear, I do not know.

My breath caught in my throat as we stopped in front of a large theatre, many rich opera viewers going in. Some stared at the two of us as other people on street did, but most of them passed right by us without a second glance. I pulled myself together, taking hold of the crease of Caius's elbow, getting ready to go inside, whenever he pulled me back. I turned to stare at him whenever he pulled a box from his inner coat pocket.

"I thought this would go well with the dress," he said quietly, opening the box so he could show me the contents. I peered inside and gasped a bit.

Inside was a pearl pendant surrounded by a ring of diamonds, looped around a small, braided, silver chain. I recognized it quickly. It was the necklance that Athendora always wore; I would envy her, that she could possess such a beautiful thing. I shook my head a bit. "Caius, I can't take this," I said quietly though I would love to feel the cool treasure against my skin, feel the weight of the real diamonds, touch it and smirk whenever woman passed by and stared at it in envy. But it wasn't mine to take. I couldn't take this man's dead wife's gift from him, as precious as the wedding band of a long marriage. "Really, I can't."

He ignored me as he moved behind, taking the necklace delicately between his strong, icy fingers, and moved my hair out of the way. The long-gone-untouched metal was as cold as his skin as it fell perfectly against my bare neck. As he let the clasp the close and moved his hands to touch my shoulders it was as if an unspoken promise had been made to me through this small gesture of placing a necklace around my throat. My fingers delicately stroked the pearl, round and smooth, bumping against each of the little cut diamonds until they reached the top of the circle.

I forced a smile onto my lips as he examined the necklace against my fair skin, the chain moving slightly against the pulse on my throat. "Thank you, Caius," I said as genuinely as I could. "It's beautiful. Thank you."

* * *

**A/N: This chapter is a tiny bit of a filler but it does have significance for the next chapter. And I'm sorry for the bit of Caius OOC. I just needed to tie the knot for this chapter, and I figured I had permission to make him a bit OOC because of Athendora's death.  
Anyway, I hoped you liked this one! Chapter 3 will be up soon.  
Also, for all you Hunger Games fans, you should look at my other fanfics, _The Next Generation _and _The Second Quarter Quell._**

**Until then, be safe and please review. Reviews = motivation. Motivation = more chapters. More chapters = better story.**

**-AGEless**


	4. Chapter 4: Chapter Three

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own ****_Twilight _****or most of the characters mentioned.**

* * *

_Three_

Whenever we entered the theatre, the first thing that hit me was the smell. My human instincts took over, making my stomach growl, while my vampire instincts also showed by a fire flaring up in my throat. The first thought that popped in my mind was that Caius could have at least been enough of a gentleman to have allowed me to hunt before bringing me to a place full of hot people, several intoxicating smells mixed together. I tried not to turn my nose in every direction as people passed by us.

I started breathing through my mouth, trying to help myself a bit. It didn't do much good. I turned to Caius to say something to him, but he seemed to be paying attention to something else, his pale brow furrowed together, looking more like his normal self. I tried to follow his line of vision but there were too many people in the way, my seeing not strong enough to focus through them. He patted my hand, not tearing his eyes from whatever he was looking at. "If I asked you to stay here, would you?" he said tightly. Without having to look at me to see me nodding, he pulled his arm back from my grasp and walked in the direction of his target.

I stood there for a while, trying to pay attention to my own quick heart beats instead of those of the people around me. I was beginning to feel awkward just standing still in the crowd of moving and people chatting in Italian so I moved to a nearby statue pushed against a wall, pretending to read the under it and examine the fine detail of the metal carefully shaped into the figure of an angelic-looking woman holding her small, equally as beautiful child. Evidently, it was made by a local man who claimed to have seen this woman from a balcony while visiting family in another town. Something inside of me told me that what he saw was a vampire mother and a hybrid child.

Someone stepped beside me, nudging me slightly. I tensed a bit as I felt the cold, hard skin connect with mine. The smell was familiar yet not. Vampire but no one I knew. I turned hesitantly to see a woman taller than me and dark-haired. When she turned to look at me, her dark eyes screamed warning to me. My tightened my fists and clenched my teeth in case something had to come about. However, she just mumbled from the side of her pale mouth, "Cosette Roberts?"

My eyes widened the slightest bit before I regained my composure and nodded. "Yes," I mumbled back.

She looked at me, a smile on her lips. She touched her eyes twice quickly, but not too quick for me to miss the gold iris that glinted as she took out her contact and put it back in. "My name is Jemima Akila," she said warmly, her smile now full and genuine. "I've been expecting you. Your mother, Fantine, told me we would meet one day."

I struggled for my next breath as I turned to look at her. "Yes," I said, nodding slightly. "Mom told me about you. You're really going to help me?" My heart swelled with the thought that I might finally be free, finally get out.

"Yes," she said, her voice sure, strong. "I am."

As much as my heart swelled, it deflated that much as a thought occured to me. "But what about Caius?" I mumbled. "I can't just leave with him here." _No, _I thought. I could feel my mouth pulling down at the corners. _He'd have be killed on the spot. I'd die without fulfilling my promise. _I sighed, feeling defeated.

She reached in her clutch and pulled out a small, rectangular piece of paper covered in writing. I smiled a bit as I realized what it was. "Don't worry about him," she said quietly. "I've got it covered. Just look for me during the program. Wait a while and meet me in the restroom. Don't worry," she repeated. After a last wink, she got up and moved quickly through the people as if she was water, just walking smoothly right through them.

I moved from where I was standing so that, hopefully, when Caius came back for me, he wouldn't notice the smell of another vampire near me, though I'm sure some of her scent was probably on me now. I smiled slightly, thinking about the potential I could have being free of my father and the Volturi. The only question was, where would I go? Where could I possibly go that is far enough from them? I remembered my mother's words to me about the clan in Forks, Washington, USA. What did she say their leader's name was? Carlisle. I thought I remembered Aro saying something about a Carlisle once. Carlisle Cullen. I didn't have time to think more on it, though, because I felt a cool hand on my waist, smelled a familiar smell as someone pulled me closer to their side.

"I've never seen someone stare at one spot of a painting that long before," Caius said quietly, his voice sounding amused. His fingers brushed the picture of the small, blonde child with golden eyes lightly, his lips pursed, eyes thoughtful.

I cleared my throat awkwardly. "I guess I just... got caught up in my thoughts," I said, looking for the right words without lying. Caius has no special power, but he's always been powerful as if he did.

He looked down at me like he looked at the child in the painting. Thoughtfully, hungrily... almost angrily but not quite. "Thinking can be a dangerous thing, dear Jezebel," he said quietly. "Come." He placed a hand firmly on the small of my bare back and guided me forward, away from the stare of the child.

* * *

I shifted my crossed legs so that the left was over the right, the slit in my dress pulling apart to reveal my bare thigh. I grimaced and pushed the fabric back over it, hoping I didn't seem too fidgety. My eyes kept scanning the crowd for Jemimna, a sign of movement, some glance in my direction. I decided to direct my eyes to Caius's face.

He was more intrigued by the performance than I thought he would be. I loved music myself, but I did not care at all for this, though I was impressed by the notes that the tiny woman was making from her throat. I just wished I could understand what she was saying though I had no desire to brush up on my Italian. He turned his head, and I tried to turn my gaze before he saw, but he caught it. He grinned a bit.

"This sort of story," he said to me, quietly enough that I could only hear, "has always been... complex for me." He seemed to take in my expression because he then said, "Do you understand what's going on, Jezebel?"

I shook my head, trying to seem angry at myself for not following along. "No," I mumbled. "My Italian - it's rough. I kind of lost track, I guess."

He nodded, eyes layered with an understanding that did not seem to fit on Caius's face. "The female lead has just learned of her betrothal her father arranged. Of course, she is willing to marry him, seeing no other suitor possible. However, she goes out and meets another man - the male lead - and seems to have fallen in love with him. Only then does she figure out that their two families are mortal enemies."

I swallowed a bit hard, not helping the thirst in the least. I scratched my arm nervously. "So it's almost like an opera version of _Romeo and Juliet?_" I asked him, the words coming out before I could stop them.

He shrugged one shoulder. "You might find Shakespear's ending a bit more... intruiging," he said, averting his attention back to the stage. "That is, depending on what type of person you are." Here, he added a very Caius-like smirk that made my blood run cold. For a moment, I felt sympathic for this lonely man who was handling the death of his mate quite hard. But that little smirk, the smallest play of his lips, reminded me of the cold-blooded murderer I was supposed to be marrying. One that was willing to kill me a little more than a year ago. One who was probably still wishing me dead at this very moment.

I looked towards the stage, remembering his words of how the female lead saw no other suitor. I could not see why because she was very pretty, her voice ringing like bells through the theatre, her movements fluid and graceful. Was it because - like me - she had lived a life a solitude, held back from society by her father? _Perhaps the two of us aren't so different, _I thought. Both sentenced to marry someone we don't love; both wishing for something more; both angry towards our fathers for reasons we couldn't share with anyone.

A movement caught my eye and my heart started beating much quicker. I hoped Caius didn't hear as I turned to him, grabbing my clutch. "I'm going to the restroom," I mumbled to him, keeping my eyes away from his.

He started to move in his seat, fingers grazing my arm. "I'll escort you," he said, preparing to stand. I shook my head, making a gesture for him to sit.

"Caius," I started quietly, not sure quite what to say, "if you're going to marry me... well, I want you to trust me." I finally lifted my eyes to his. They are hard and unreadable. "To know that I won't run off and leave you; I won't hurt you." When his expression doesn't change, I felt compelled to do something I never saw myself doing. I gently pulled him down to me, careful not to move too fast in front of all these humans, and pressed my lips to his. The cold skin sent chills down my spine - bad ones. I could smell his sweet breath against mine as I pulled back, feeling nothing but self-hatred. He stared at me for a few seconds and nodded, releasing my arm and sitting back in his seat.

* * *

I tried not to rush to the bathroom, afraid he would hear the hasty clicking of my heels on the tile in the lobby. I shut the door quickly, locking the door and turning to see Jemima standing behind me. She was out of her dress and pulling on a pair of jeans. She shoved a ball of fabric in my arms. "We don't have much time," she said quickly and quietly. "I specially arranged your flight so that it left fifteen minutes after we got there. Put these on. They'll mask your scent. Leave your shoes - he'll be able to hear you leave if you don't."

I shimmied out of my dress, throwing it over my head and quickly swapping it for the yellow T-shirt. As I was quickly rolling the legs of my jeans up, I heard the sound of fabric ripping. I looked up to see Jemima tearing our dresses to ribbons. She shoved the strips into the toliet, flushing it while I pulled my hair into a ponytail at the nape of my neck. My throat tightened as my fingers brushed the chain at the back of my neck. This is dangerous and stupid, I thought. I would be much safer away from my father and his torture. And yet, I may be safer still being with my father. If he found me, he would certainly have me killed since it was a once in a lifetime thing for him to give me a second chance.

I tucked my necklace quickly down in my shirt, feeling its coolness against my skin. A reminder of what I was coming from and that even wonderful things can come from terrible places.

I shoved my feet into the soft flats, shoving my heels behind a toliet in a stall. I nodded to her, letting her know I was ready.

"Come on," she said quietly. She pulled the hood of her jacket onto my head. "Walk slow, quiet, so Caius can't pick up your footsteps. He'll come looking for you soon." She threw the door open, and led me out of the lobby and a little ways down the street before opening the door to a white car and hastily getting in. I followed her movements. Before my door was shut, she started driving, going from zero to ninety in a few seconds and pushing it still to two hundred as we exited the city.

Only when we got outside the city did I start to feel anxious, my already-quick heartbeat beating even faster. I could feel my knee involuntarily start juggling, the same tremor in my hands, and I could see a piece of hair in the corner of my eye trembling. The silence isn't helping either. I swallowed a bit and turned to Jemima whose eyes were trained on the road, a grim look on her face, mouth in a tight line, twisting her beautiful, dark face. "How did you know my mother?" I asked her, my throat uncomfortable and scratchy with thirst. "How did you become a vampire?"

Jemima glanced at me, still with her dark contacts in, she looked as if she was thirsty. She pressed down on the gas more, the engine giving a quiet growl in response. "I was friends with your mother even before she was Changed," she said slowly. I raised an eyebrow; her accent was distinctly British. This, of course, meant nothing. She smiled a bit. "She was a wonderful woman. Really she was. You look so much like her." I too smiled though it disappeared quickly. "We all thought your mother as dead of course whenever she didn't come back from Italy when she said she would. Everyone but me. I decided to take action in my own hands when the police decided there was nothing they could do."

"Take things into your own hands?" I mumbled. "And what were you planning to do to find her? I mean, how?"

She grinned at me and winked. "Let's just say that no one doesn't learn nothing from being in the military. I went to Volterra first because I knew that she wanted to go to the St. Marcus festival because if there was anywhere that she was likely to be murdered or kidnapped, it was there. I knew I should have brought someone with me but there was no one willing to go with me. I felt as if I was getting close, that I was on the verge of finding her. I was on my way back to my hotel after a long night of investigating. I was caught up in my thoughts, my eagerness to find Fantine that I never noticed the men trailing behind me." Her face was dark again, eyes distant though she seemed to be able to tell where she was driving. "They jumped me, took everything I had with me other than the clothes on my back. I had tried to fight back, but of course, it was futile. One of them pulled a gun. I would have... died if Michael hadn't have found me. He brought me into his family of animal drinkers.

"It was my first hunt when I saw Fantine," she said, a smile playing on her lips. "She was beautiful, alive. I knew something was off. That's when she told me about you. She begged me to help you if need ever be. What else could I tell her? I agreed without hesitiation."

My eyebrows furrowed together. "How did you know where to meet me?" I asked her quietly, feeling unable to tear my eyes from her. "That's impossible."

She stared at me, confusion clear on her face. "Didn't she ever tell you?"

My heartbeat was far ahead of me now. I felt like it was about to explode at any second. "Tell me what?"

She ran a hand through her hair. "Fantine could see the future," she said. "Most of the time she was never wrong. She told me exactly when we would meet, where. She knew she wouldn't be with you."

My breath caught in my throat as her words hammered in my mind. "She knew she was going to die?" I said louder than I meant. "She knew she was going to die before I was mature and yet she tried that stunt with getting me out of the Volturi?" My voice rose to a shout now. "Why would she do that?"

Jemima placed her hand on top of mine. I was once again reminded of the motherly love that I missed so dearly. "Your mother knew that she wouldn't be with you. She knew she was going to die. But she didn't know how. I'm sure if she had know, she would have waited. However, you have to understand that a person's future can be changed. They can turn it around." She removed her hand, and I felt empty again.

Silence filled the car once more. It hung like a great weight, pushing down on my chest and making it hard to breathe. It stayed like this until we pulled up to a large building with many cars pulling out and people standing around. Jemima turned to me. "This is where I leave you," she said quietly. She shoved the plane ticket in my hand. "Whenever you get inside the airport, find a man named Tyler. You'll know him when you see him. He can assist you further."

I nodded and opened my car door. "And Cosette?" I turned back to face her.

Jemima smiled at me warmly, much like my mother used to. "Good luck."

Before I realized what I was doing, I pulled her against me, wrapping my arms around her. "Thank you so much," I mumbled quietly. And I truly felt greatful. I would never be able to pay her back.

She patted my back and then told me to hurry. I tumbled out of the car quickly and ran through the doors, glad I didn't really have any bags with me. I stopped when I get in, looking around for someone familiar or trustworthy-looking. "Cosette Roberts?"

I turned to see a man no older than early twenties standing behind me. His gold eyes met mine as he threw an arm around my shoulder, making me walk. "My name is Tyler Prior," he said as he guided me along. "We don't have much time so listen closely. You're going to get on the plane, a special flight that goes straight to Seattle. As soon as you get there, you are to find your way to Forks and go to the Cullens. They'll help you. But no matter what you do, avoid La Push just before Forks. There are shapeshifters there. They will kill you if they see they need to, and they are not merciful." He shoved a manila folder in my hand which I stuffed in my inside pocket. "Fantine has already arranged everything for you, even down to American citizenship." Before I could ask, he said, "Vampires get around more than you think."

A man stopped us, looking bored. Tyler nodded to him, showing him something attached to the front of his shirt. "She's with me," he said. The man nodded and let us past. He pushed us out of an open door towards where a small airplane was sitting, door open. He guided me to the steps of it before holding my shoulders and smiling at me. "Good luck, Cosette Roberts," he said. He kissed my forehead, and then led me up the stairs.

My heart beat hard in my chest as the door closed behind me. The plane was completely empty other than another man standing at the cockpit, a friendly smile on his face, his red eyes glinting. "Right on the dot," he said in a pleasant voice. He crossed and held out his hand. "Miss Roberts, I am Christopher Lynn, and I'll be your pilot tonight."

My stomach clenched, staring into his red eyes. I knew that all vampires were not bad but there was something about red eyes that gave me a sense of unrest. Something that made me feel frightened.

Christopher's smile softened, his eyes sympathetic. "I can sense your nervousness," he said. "But not all red eyes are bad you know. I can see how you might not believe that, living with the Volturi your whole life and everything. But you don't need to worry. You're in good hands. Now if you would please take your seat, we'll be leaving immediately."

I did as he commanded, feeling numb with fear. I felt as if I were about to pass out from both thirst and this anxiety building inside me as I felt the plane go faster as it went down the runway. I realized there was no turning back as the plane started to make an incline and then went straight and level.

I stared out a window, watching the lights from the airport and the runway get smaller and smaller until they were no longer visible.

This was it. I was on my way to freedom.

I was a caged bird being set free.


	5. Chapter 5: Chapter Four

_Four  
Embry_

The wet ground squished behind my large feet, the rain poured down on me, and my body quivered as I prepared to go into wolf form. I was ready for a good run today. Heat worked its way through my arms and down my spine. It was becoming easier to phase as I got older, more experienced. It still didn't come as easy to me or the others as it did to Jacob though.

I was about to turn and go into the trees whenever there was a honk behind me. I recognized it and the sound of the tires on the wet asphalt. I lost my focus and all the heat was gone, the shivering ceasing. I looked to where the noise came from to see Jake pulling over on the side of the road in his Rabbit. He stuck his head out of the window, a goofy smile plastered on his face. "Didn't I tell you to take a break today?" he said, stepping out of the car. "There hasn't been any activity at all for the past few months. Really no need for us to be out right now."

I shrugged and looked down at my feet, not telling him why I'm out. "Didn't you say you were going to see Nessie today?" I asked him though I hadn't seen him all day. "Isn't she home?"

Jacob's eyes narrowed a bit at the tone of my voice, but he answered, "Yeah. She wasn't home earlier, but she just called me and asked me to come. She and Carlisle were out hunting, a bit of distraction so Edward and Bella could buy her Christmas presents. I was just on my way to see her." He didn't say anything more for a few minutes, but just stared at me, and I knew what he was thinking even though we weren't in wolf form. "Did you and Tiffany have another blowout? Tell me, Embry."

I pushed my hair out of my eyes though it fell back under the weight of the water in it. "Any new news? Don't worry, I'm getting my own house soon." Remembering the argument my mom and I had this morning was helping me to focus on becoming a wolf again, the heat warming up again, the shaking gradually building up. I started backing away from Jacob just in case I phased while he was still near.

But he stepped forward and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Why don't you come see Nessie with me?" he asked me, smiling. "She's been asking about you. You're her favorite, you know."

I hesitated but got in the passenger side of the Rabbit. I smirked slightly as Jacob slid in the car. "I would think Quil would be her favorite," I joked, knowing he really annoyed her sometimes. I knew that came from Edward's side since Bella never really seemed phased by Quil's occasional immaturity.

Jake didn't answer as he glanced at the Clearwaters' house as we passed. The driveway was empty of vehicles - Sue was probably at Charlie Swan's. He sighed and turned his attention to the road again. "I wonder how Seth is," he said. "I hope he's doing okay."

I tapped my fingers on my knees anxiously. Seth was the only one of us still in the pack who went to college. Paul and Sam both decided to go after they stopped phasing (Paul went only because Rebecca practically begged him to). The kid comes back as much as he can though and says he's loving it and is keeping a close watch on vampires at Portland State. "He's a smart kid," I tell him. "He's doing fine. It's not the same as high school, you know."

He nodded. "I know." We were quite for a few more minutes - which I was sort of enjoying - when he spoke up again. "Why don't you go to college? Maybe online classes? Do something normal to keep your mom off your tail (no pun intended). It- Well, it would be good for both of you - you and your mom."

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back on the seat. "You don't think my mom and I have discussed this before? You don't think she's nagged me about it to no end? 'You had the highest grade on your ACTof your class, Embry,'" I mimicked in a falsetto. "'You're not going to get anywhere if you live here for any longer.' 'I'm so disappointed in you - I wish you were different.'" I let out a disgusted snort. "Why are you bothering _me _about it? Why not Colin or Quil or Justin? And why aren't _you _going to college, hmm?" I stopped, surprised at the harshness in my voice. I calmly raked a hand through my hair and stared out the window, trying to control my shaking. Neither of us spoke for the rest of the car ride.

* * *

Jacob's smile reappeared as he pulled up to the large Cullen house as it usually did any time he was about to see Nessie. My nose wrinkled as I stepped out of the car. I could already smell the stench of vampire. It may have been my imagination, but I thought I smelled something else mixed with it, something I've never smelled before. Jake punched me lightly in the arm.

"Loosen up, man," he said, his smile seeming to get wider with every step he took closer to the house. "It's not like you've never been here before. You know they won't bite." He strode ahead, up the steps to the door, pushing it open without knocking.

"Easy for _you _to say," I mumbled as I followed him. Even though I _had _been here several times, the presence of the vampires - good or not - still kept me on edge. I didn't want to be that way, of course - it was instinct.

I hung by the door, which was still open, hoping it would help with the smell. As I looked around the room, I noticed that something was wrong. Jake had stopped dead in the middle of the living room, his shoulders suddenly tense, and they relaxed only slightly when Nessie moved across the room to him. Though I didn't have Jasper's ability to read emotions, I could tell that the atmosphere of the room was very wary. All of the Cullens were standing, except for Esme. It was only then that I noticed someone laying on the couch, their dark head in Esme's lap. I stood a little straighter and set all my senses on high-alert. I paid close attention to Jacob's movements.

"Anyone we know?" he asked calmly. I looked at Dr. Cullen. I didn't recognize their smell, didn't know them, but that didn't mean that he didn't. Judging by the cautious gleam in his yellow eyes, he didn't.

"No," Dr. Cullen said, equally as calm as Jake. "Nessie and I found her while hunting. She was passed out in the middle of the forest. It's most unusual. I never thought it possible for this kind to fall to weakness. I thought it best to bring her back here."

Bella stepped forward carefully, her eyes never leaving the girl in Esme's lap. She hadn't exactly been keen on trusting people since the blowout with the Volturi a few years back though they hadn't disturbed us yet. In fact, sometimes the Cullens commented on how eerie the absence of the creepy bloodsucker cult to the area was. "Do you think she might be one of Nahuel's sisters?" she asked, stepping around the back of the couch to get a better look at the girl. "She doesn't seem to be much younger than Nessie."

Dr. Cullen nodded thoughtfully. "It's quite possible. I'm sure he's said something to them about us, about Bella surviving Nessie's birth. They may have wanted a glimpse themselves."

"Wait a second," I said, my mind swimming to catch up. "You're saying i- _she's _a hybrid? And she's younger than Nessie, right? I thought those creeps killed that guy's father right after they left Forks. How can it be his sister?"

I expected them to say they hadn't considered that, but instead Dr. Cullen grinned at me slightly. "We've thought of that, Embry," he said. "But we're not sure exactly how much younger she is than Renesmee. Some hybrids mature faster than others. Between Nessie's birth and the time it took for the Volturi to come here to Forks, Nahuel's father had enough time to create another hybrid and for it to be born."

I pressed my lips together. I had enough on my mind already, but this was going to kill me. Dr. Cullen said that the half-bloodsucker was very thin and malnutrition-ed and that there was he was not sure what was going to happen since he had never seen something like this. Jake had insisted on staying until the hybrid woke up, if it did, and, though I tried to convince him that I needed to get home, said that I should stay too. Which is why I was now stuck two hours later being beat at chess by Nessie, a child seventeen years younger than me.

"Checkmate," she said happily, a smug grin on her face. "You're bad at this."

Only slightly embarrassed, I pushed myself out of my chair, mumbling, "Jake's turn" and choking down a laugh as he sat down with a goofy, boyish, lovey-dovey grin on his face. And yet I couldn't help thinking about how lucky he was to have imprinted on someone and have someone to keep him happy no matter what happened to him. It's safe to say he's gotten the better end of the deal than the rest of us, since both Jake and Nessie can live on forever, together, happy.

"Carlisle!"

I turned to face Esme as she called for her husband. She was staring down at the hybrid in her lap. It was now rousing, squirming slightly as it woke up. Dr. Cullen came into the living room to see what Esme needed and noticed the hybrid too. He nodded and knelt down beside them. He grabbed gently to the hybrid's shoulder.

It happened as soon as the contact was made.

The hybrid rolled off of the couch, landing in a crouch, its short hair tangled in its face. Its eye were wide with fear. A growl, not half a menacing as full-blooded bloodsuckers, erupted from its throat. Dr. Cullen held his hands up in the universal sign for no harm. The hybrid, however, did not seem to notice, its eyes wide with fear. It lunged, but rather than attacking, it simply blew past him in pursuit of the door, dodging the Cullens trying to grab it. It was getting closer and closer to the door.

"Embry!"

I quickly slammed the open door shut and braced myself as the hybrid plowed into me. It tried shoving me aside, to get out. I wrapped my arms around. I noticed what Dr. Cullen had said about it being extremely thin. It was small, though very tall. This did not take away from its strength though. It fought against me and got a couple of good hits in, but I was still stronger than it. My instincts were kicking in and I could feel myself starting to tremble. I forced myself to remain in human form as I struggled against the hybrid. The heat was about to grow unbearable when, finally, it stopped struggling, staying still for a few moments.

I met eyes with Dr. Cullen, asking for consent, to see if it was calm enough to release. He looked at Jasper, who nodded, his amber eyes steady gazing at the hybrid in my grip. I started loosening my grip, slowly, so that I could grab it again it need be. I braced myself in case it made a run for it.

Instead, it turned to face me and gripped my shoulders tightly, its warm fingers digging in the muscles. Slowly, cautiously, it moved its gaze up to my face. Its eyes met mine...

_Her _eyes met mine.

That small contact, that short gaze, was possibly the most important. It was as if all the things holding me, bearing down on me had vanished. All the worry, all the frustrations, any past "loves." Gone. There was only one thing left in the world, one thing I needed. One thing keeping me tethered here to Earth, to existence. I was holding it in my arms. Where she was supposed to be.

* * *

**A/N: I'm really sorry I haven't updated in a while! I wasn't sure how to make this chapter flow - which is why it took me so long - so I really hope that this is good. If it's not, I'm sorry! And if it's corny, I am also sorry for that! I can't write through a guy's perspective very well.  
Also, I don't really like stories that switch POVs a lot but for this one to flow right, it's probably going to have to. So there.  
Hope you guys like it! Please review, even if it's bad! Leave me suggestions! See you later!  
- AGEless**


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